Lighting units for providing multiple lighting functions with at least a reflector and multiple lamps are known in the art and are commonly employed in recent automobile headlamps. For example, in a known vehicle headlamp, a halogen lamp is used, comprising two filaments for providing high and low beam functions with correspondingly arranged reflectors for beam shaping of the output beam to the desired beam pattern.
Due to new regulations and a strong demand to increase safety in the automobile industry, an increasing number of lighting functions with different beam patterns, e.g. high beam, low beam, fog light, parking light or daytime running light need to be provided, resulting in an increased number of lighting units for providing these lighting functions.
Since each lighting unit has to be accommodated in a suitable cavity and corresponding space in the front or rear section of a motor vehicle is limited—especially because of increasing safety and design demands—it is difficult to realize the increasing number of different lighting functions in modern motor vehicles.